Tobacco tax increase to save lives
Australia’s future cancer and cardiovascular disease burden will be dramatically reduced as a result of the Government’s decision to increase tobacco tax by 25%, say the Cancer Council Australia and the National Heart Foundation of Australia.
Cancer Council chief executive officer, Professor Ian Olver, and the chief executive officer of the National Heart Foundation, Dr Lyn Roberts, said the tax increase in addition to the planned introduction of plain packaging for tobacco products made 29 April “a historic day for preventative health policy in Australia”.
They said premature cancer and cardiovascular disease incidence caused by smoking placed a heavy but avoidable burden on Australia’s health system, which would be substantially reduced over the long-term by these groundbreaking policy measures.
Evidence showed the increase in tobacco tax would be particularly effective in reducing the tobacco disease burden among socially disadvantaged people, who suffer disproportionately high rates of cancer and cardiovascular death caused by smoking.
